The Robert Simon Memorial Prize is awarded annually by the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics to the graduate student who has completed the most outstanding dissertation. Should no graduate student’s dissertation qualify in any given year, the prize may be awarded to either the most outstanding student who has completed a Master of Science degree in the department or to the most outstanding graduating senior in the department. The department chair in consultation with the department faculty selects the awardee.

Robert Simon (December 25, 1919 - February 11, 2001) received a B.A. degree cum laude in Classics from the City College of New York in 1941, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.A. in Mathematics from Columbia University in 1949. Between 1941 and 1944, Mr. Simon was a Lieutenant in the United States Armed forces serving in England, France, and Italy. He participated in the D-Day operation as a navigator for a plane that dropped paratroopers in the vicinity of Omaha Beach. General Dwight Eisenhower personally shook his hand and wished him well the night before the D-Day assault.

Mr. Simon, who was born and lived in NYC, spent a lifetime making valuable contributions to the field of computer science. Starting in 1953, he worked for 15 years at Sperry's Univac Division in various capacities including marketing, planning, systems engineering, systems programming and information services. He also spent a year working at the Fairchild Engine Division as Director of the Engineering Computer Group. He personally directed the establishment of several company computer centers at sites throughout the United States. Between 1969 and 1973, he was a partner with American Science Associates, a venture capital firm. Mr. Simon was a founder and Vice President of Intech Capital Corporation and served on its board from 1972 to 1981 and a founder and member of the board of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. from 1983 until his retirement in 1995.

The prize was established in 2001 by Dr. Jane Faggen with additional support from friends and relatives of Mr. Simon.

Award Winners

2007: Remi Lefrancois

2006: Kui Ren

2005: Irene Dujovne

2004: Xuan Gao

2003: Charles Kerbage

2002: Mark Crowder